Musical instrument carrying case



lMay 2, i939.l M BRO'KS 2,156,910 V MUSICAL'INSTRUMENT CARRYING CASE Filed April 16, 193e Patented May 2, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT GFFICE Application April 16,

` Claims.

The present invention relates to an improvement in accessory compartments for use in musical instrument carrying cases for stringed Inusical instruments such as violins, banjos, guitars 5 and similar fragile instruments.

As is well known such cases are of light Weight, are quite strong, being made of pressed bre board, or ply veneer or the like and are usually so constructed as to more or less follow the contour of the contained instrument.

The instruments are usually finely finished, of high polish, and therefore easily scratched.

As there are usually a number of accessories carried with such an instrument in its case, it is customary to provide pockets` or compartments within the interior of the case whereby such accessories such as picks, cake rosin, sometimes metal tuning keys, extra strings, mutes and other accessories of known nature, and it is desirable to so maintain these in the compartments, as to prevent their indiscriminate, accidental dispersion in the case during the handling and carrying thereof, and thus to protect the contained instrument against accidental damage thereto, or to its finish.

To this end, the compartments are provided with preferably cloth-hinged closing covers, with positive, spring clip latching means, to prevent accidental opening of the closures, said latches being so constructed as to form automatic cover latching means and being .easy to manually unlatch when access to the compartments is desired.

The foregoing and other features of advantage will appear as the herein description proceeds and it is obvious that modifications may be made over the disclosure herein, Without departing from the spirit hereof, or the scope of the appended claims.

In the drawing,

Fig. 1 is a plan; View of an instrument case and the neck portion thereof, in which is located, in the present instance, a pair of accessory compartments;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary, sectional` view, taken on the line 2 2, Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 3 is a sectional View taken on line 3-3, Fig. 2, looking in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional View of one of the compartments, taken on the. line 4--4, Fig. 2, looking in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional View similar to Fig. 2, 55 showing the covers opened;

1936, Serial No. 74,671

y Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the spring latch lock G; and

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the spring latch lock H.

In Fig. l, the case is generally shown as comprising two spaced, side forming walls I-I, con.- nected to a bottom B, the opposite .ends of said case being merged into an instrument body receiving portion 2, and the instrument tuningpost receiving portion 3. An instrument case cover C is shown fragmentarily, and is hingedly connected to the case in a customary manner.

The present construction contemplates the provision of more than one compartment, though only one may be provided, but as shown two compartments E and F are shown, abutting one another, they being divided by an instrument neck rest 6, the upper portion of which extends upwardly and beyond the compartments and is provided with a concaved, cut out recess I3 which receives and holds the neck, or key board of the instrument, not shown. The lower end I3 of the rest 6 is aflixed to the bottom B of the casing by glue or other means.

Aiixed to one face of the rest 6 and tol the bottom B, Fig. 2, is a. filler block 'I, this block being of the same height as the compartments and forms a hinge support for the closure 9 of compartment E.

Compartment E; is closed at one end by a partition or wall 4. Compartment F is formed by a. partition or w'all 5, which also forms a. hinge support for the cover of compartment F.

As is customary in structures` of this. type the interior portions are lined with a textile pile fabric, generally denoted by V, throughout the drawing, such fabric may be of velvet, plush or velour. Where the covers and partitions are hingedly connected, the covers being covered on all faces and edges bythe lining, the lining forms the hinge connections I and J.

The cover 9 of compartment E. has its outer free end supported by the partition 4, as in Figs. 2 and 3, and at one side of said partition 4, on the outer face thereof, as in Fig. 3, there is, operatively held by screws I4-I4, a spring metal latch clip G, the shank 23 of which is provided with holes to receive said screws I4.

The latch G is slightly offset as in Figs. 2 and 6, at I8 to receive the overhanging edge of the cover 9, and to form a latch end I8, which normally engages over the outer end of the cover 9, to hold the cover shut. The latch end I8 is extended backwardly and upwardly to form a cover actuated cam and finger piece II, whereby when u.

the cover 9 is closed, it forces the cam section II outwardly, automatically, to cause automatic locking engagement of the lock latch end I8, with the cover end when it has reached its support seat, as in Fig. 2. Manually pushing on the extension II releases the cover end from the latch G, and the cover is then manually raised.

Cover 8 of compartment F is. provided with a similar latch lock arrangement, but is modied to suit the adjacent case and compartment structure. The cover 8, hinged at J by its lining V, to partition 5, normally rests on the upper face of the support 5, with its free end, when closed. resting on a block or strip I2 which is aixed to a face of the neck rest 6, as in Fig. 2.

At one side of the neck rest 6 is xedly mounted one end of a spring latch lock H, by means of a screw I4, passing into the rest 6 through an aperture 20, Fig. '7, in the angled shank 2| of the latch lock H. As in Figs. 2, 5 and 7 the latch lock H, comprises an angled shank portion 2| which has an extending cam end I1, which merges with a inger piece I0, at the opposite end of the lock by an intermediate, connecting portion I0. This portion I0 is passed through a slot 24, Figs. 4 and 5, which is provided through the body of the neck rest 6, the lock then resting by its cam end I1 upon the free end of the cover 8, as in Fig. 2, with its manually manipulable end I0 upstanding and in position to be manually pushed to the left to remove the cam latch I1 out of the path of the cover, to release the same so that the cover may be fully opened. In closing the cover 8 the free end strikes the cam end II of the spring latch lock, and pushes it away, and after the seating of the cover 8 the latch lock cam I'I springs over the free end of the cover 8, as in Fig. 2, and loads it down.

To enable the user to lift the cover 8, there is provided a exible linger tab I5, affixed to said cover by a fastening rivet I6, Figs. 1, 2 and 5.

Having thus described the invention what is claimed is:

1. In a musical instrument case comprising an accessory receptacle including a hinged cover and having an instrument rest, said rest including a top part, the cover being below said part, and there being one end of the cover removably supported on the rest; a latch mounted on said part, said latch having a resilient catch portion disposed in the path of said end, and a manipulable portion extending from the iirst portion whereby the latter may be manually sprung out of catching position.

2. In a musical instrument carrying case comprising an accessory receptacle including ahinged cover and having an instrument rest, said rest including a top part having therein an opening, the cover in its closed position being below said part and having a swingable end supported on the rest below the opening j a spring constructed latch strip having one terminal xedly mounted on one side of said part, said strip having a resilient catch portion disposed in the path of said swingable end for cooperating in holding relation therewith, a second portion extending from the catch portion through said opening to the opposite side of said part, and a manipulable terminal provided on the second mentioned portionV whereby the catch portion may be moved out of the holding position.

3. In a musical instrument carrying case, in

y combination, instrument supporting means including a cross member, receptacles disposed below the top of said member and each including a hinged cover; two cross walls, each forming a support for one end of a cover, said iirst means also forming supporting means for the other ends of the covers, and latch means carried by said supporting means for both covers.

4. A case comprising side walls; transverse partitions across the case; cover lids hinged to and engaging the partitions; one of the partitions being upwardly extended and provided with an opening; and a latch secured to the last named partition and adapted to engage over an adjacent free margin of a lid, and having a manipulating means extending through the opening.

5. A vcase comprising a large body portion, a narrow neck portion, and a head portion respectively adapted to receive the body, neck and tuning keys of a stringed instrument; the bottom wall of said case being substantially in a single plane spaced from the neck; the interior of the case being only long and wide enough to receive the instrument, and of substantially equal depth throughout; a neck rest extending across the neck portion and provided with an upper neck-receiving cut-out in part above the level of the top of the side Walls; blocks secured to both faces of the rest just below the cut-out; transverse partitions across the ends of the neck portion; the top of the partitions and block being atthe same height as the ller; covers respectively hingecl to a block and partition and having free margins resting on the other partition and block; said rest being provided with an opening; a latch secured to the rest over a block and adapted to engage over the adjacent free margin, and having a manipulating extension extending through the opening; said rest having the double function of providing a neck rest and a partition cooperating with the partitions to form receptacles inthe neck portion to prevent waste of the space under said neck, and aording storage space without forming projections or increasing the size of the case, thereby rendering the case, with receptacles, compact.

MORRIS BROOKS. 

